THE RECORD BOOK 



227 



so that it becomes necessary to take careful notes regarding plants at 

 the time of their collection. 



The Record Book. — The record is to include the collection number of 

 the specimen, which is also to be attached to the specimen at the same 

 time, the date, locality, altitude, habitat, habit of the plant, color and 

 any other facts not likely to be readily recognized in the dried specimen. 



The best form of note-book is one containing 100 pages like that here 

 figured, a convenient size for which is 4 x 7 inches and printed on very 

 strong and tough paper, such as cartridge-paper. The numbers borne 

 on these pages are to be printed by machine, so as to avoid all pos- 

 sible form of error. Through the holes in the tags at the bottom of the 

 page strings are to be tied and the tags are to be firmly attached to the 

 specimens. When the specimen is studied later there can thus be no 

 possible question as to the specimen to which the notes refer. When 

 the specimen is finally mounted in the herbarium, the remainder of the 

 page should be torn out and glued to the sheet, the tag still remaining 

 attached to the plant as indisputable evidence of identity. With 

 great care, a similar assurance is possible without these elaborate 

 provisions. 



Besides the notes referred to above, it may be necessary to note the 

 dioecious character of a plant, in which case that of the other sex must 

 also be sought. This should be given the same number, followed by 

 the proper sexual sign or by the letter a or b. If the leaves are not yet 

 developed when the flowers appear, as is frequently the case with early 



